The present invention is generally concerned with dust control during operation of a ground milling machine, especially in the area surrounding the machine operator. For example, this is described in greater detail in DE 10 2012 022 879 B4, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The dust exposure created during working operation of such ground milling machines is disadvantageous for the operator as well as for people in the immediate vicinity of the construction machine for safety and health reasons. There is therefore a desire to reduce the dust emissions of a ground milling machine during operation as far as possible or at least to relieve particularly the machine operator from excessive dust exposure.
A particularly intensive development of dust occurs particularly in ground milling machines of the road milling type, in particular road cold milling machines, and so-called surface miners. Such ground milling machines comprise a machine frame with a chassis, a milling drum supported on the machine frame and arranged within a milling drum box, a transport device having at least one conveyor belt, which is arranged on the machine frame and configured for conveying removed ground material, i.e., the milled material, in a conveying direction away from the milling drum toward a discharge point.
Generic ground milling machines thus comprise at least one milling drum as a working device, which mills ground material with its rotational axis rotating horizontally and transversally to the working direction. The milled material is then carried-off from the milling drum box, in which the milling drum is arranged, to a transfer point via a transport device, typically comprising at least one conveyor belt, away from the milling drum in the conveying direction, at which transfer point the milled material is dropped or discharged, for example, into a transport means, in particular a truck, or onto the ground next to the construction machine. The conveying direction is thus the direction of transport of the milled material away from the milling drum.
A major source of dust generation is especially the region of the milling drum, respectively the milling drum box having the rotating milling drum arranged therein, and also the transport device. Typical ground milling machines are road milling machines, stabilizers, recyclers or surface miners.
Suction devices, which generate a negative pressure in the milling drum box and suction-off dust and steam generated there during the milling works, are already known from the prior art for ground milling machines. To that end, a suction device for sucking dust is provided, which is connected to a channel via a suction opening, the suction opening being arranged between the channel inlet and the channel outlet. The channel describes the conveying path of the milled material from its receiving position on the transport device to the discharge position, wherein the channel is typically formed to at least partially enclose or house the transport device in this area. Preferably, the suction opening is mounted in the vicinity of the channel inlet. Such a construction machine is described, for example, in DE 102 23 819 A1, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference with respect to the structure and functions of a generic construction machine. To prevent suctioning of air via the channel outlet toward the suction opening, the installation of rubber mats at the channel outlet is described there, which at least partially seal the channel outlet in the conveying direction toward the outside. However, it has shown that these rubber mats are extremely susceptible to wear, especially also due to the sharp-edged nature of the milled material. An alternative option, which practically does not involve wear, is described in DE 10 2012 022 879 B4, according to which a blocking flow is generated by means of a fluid flowing device, in order to allow a defined flow guidance of the dust-laden air.
However, the known options for reducing dust emission of a ground milling machine are still unsatisfactory. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a possibility of further reducing dust emissions in a generic ground milling machine.